Fiona ottiger

Part-time teacher, 52 CrossFit

Fiona is in tip-top form for her age. A mum, a teacher, and a triathlete, she says that CrossFit eventually became her pedestal. “I had been active in triathlon since about 2008 with Polo Tri and was ready for a change as well as for a sport that was less time consuming.”

Her road to CrossFit started around three years ago, when she first joined the Open, Crossfit’s biggest event. It scared her in the beginning, but feeling the warmth of the community at CrossFit ultimately got her hooked.

Not the kind to be engaged in sports when she was young, Fiona reveals that her fitness journey started when she was living and working in Hong Kong. “I joined my first gym and would go for runs along Bowen Road in the Mid-Levels. Honestly, I cannot remember what inspired me back then to begin fitness!” shares the athlete.

“In triathlon, I was also introduced to competition and learnt many valuable skills like patience, strategy, and resilience, which have also helped me gain success in CrossFit.” Being part of the Polo Tri Team and Central Ground CrossFit in the Philippines gave her so much joy that the sport is now something that she would never give up.

According to Fiona CrossFit involves three disciplines: gymnastics, weight lifting, and cardio, “You will generally find all three incorporated into a class.” In between her workout routine of three consecutive days, she gives herself a day of rest before repeating the cycle.

She eats healthy in order to fuel her body for CrossFit. She is currently subscribed to a programme that manages overall body activity and checks macronutrient breakdown called the Renaissance Periodisation, an important weight-loss, muscle-gain index.

She reduced her full-time teaching load to part-time to focus more on training and be more flexible in managing her schedule as a mum and an athlete. “In the end, if you love your sport, you will make the time.”

She wants to continue doing CrossFit for years to come, having been with Central Ground CrossFit since they first opened. She hopes to join more competitions in the future and stay consistent with her passion.